don't know mitt romney yet, it is hard to trust him. >> i think the voters that are left haven't made up their mind. are the least informed voters. everyone he knows knows what these two parties stand up for. for him, any sort of likability. >> you've been so entertaining. i've enjoyed this bar festival so much. you can all come back tomorrow night and we'll give our verdicts now so he can play them back to you. will it be a hit or a miss? hit or miss? >> i think he is always kind of a b student. >> hit or miss? >> i think he will just hit. >> he will probably be a hit. >> i think a hit. >> hit or miss? >> easy awed yaps. probably a hit. >> one vote. >> i got to go miss. >> i don't know. we'll find out. that's all. drink your beer. that's all for us tonight. back tomorrow. the most important speech of mitt romney's life, his acceptance speech as the republican national convention wraps up and highlights at midnight. see you tomorrow, and bring a beer. thanks, everybody. good morning to you. i'm meteorologist at cnn headquarters. a live update on tropical storm isaac still sitting in place.

our tornado watch in effect here. the 8:00 morning hour, southeastern corner of louisiana. the most persistent rain showers across this year. meteor feeatures that sat in place. covington county, in that rotation. continues to see the cells pop up in rotation. the friction with the ground as they cross land is going to spawn a few tornadoes. of course, very dangerous situation because of the early morning hour, dark conditions and heavy rainfall in the area. good news, the storm system is gradually weakening. winds down to 50 miles per hour, down from 60, last advisory. a lot of dry air coming in on the western periphery of the storm system. is falling apart. unfortunately, a very slow mover. cnn will keep you updated. live updates throughout the morning for you.

and we'd like to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. we're watching this republican national convention in tampa, florida. i'm wolf blitzer along with erin bernette. erin, we've heard powerful speeches tonight including from the vice presidential nominee. >> we certainly have. vice presidential nominee paul ryan just wrapped up his acceptance speech, it was one of many memorable moments tonight. take a look. ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the third session of the 2012 republican national convention. the convention will come to order. >> our nation is in desperate need of leadership. we believe mitt romney is the man for this moment. after four long years, help is on the way.

>> our snags coming apart at the seams and the president seems to point foings and blame others. president obama's administration will add $6 trillion to our national in just one term and i'm hoping it's just one term. >> everywhere i go in the world, people tell me that they still have faith in america. what they want to know is whether we still have faith in ourselves. i trust that mitt romney has that faith, and i trust him to lead us. [ applause ] >> i trust him to know that an american president always, always, always stands up for the rights and freedoms and justice

of all people. [ applause ] >> where does america stand? you see, when friends or foes alike don't know the answer to that question, unambiguously and clearly, the world is likely to be a more dangerous and chaotic place. we can only know that there is no choice, because one of two things will happen if we don't lead. either no one will lead and there will be chaos, or someone will fill the vacuum whom does not share our values. my fellow americans, we do not have a choice. we cannot be reluctant to lead, and you cannot lead from behind. [ applause ] >> mitt romney and paul ryan understand this reality. our well-being at home and our leadership abroad are inextricably linked. they know what to do. they know that our friends and

allies must again be able to trust us. >> i'm a newcomer to this campaign. so let me share a first impression. i have never seen opponents so silent about their record and so desperate to keep their power. they've run out ideas. their moment came and went. fear and division is all they've got left. with all their attack ads, the president is just throwing away money. and he's pretty experienced at that. so here's the question. without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be any different from the last four years? what is missing is leadership in the white house! >> the man assumed office almost four years ago.

isn't testimony about time he assumed responsibility? >> and that was the highlight of this evening. paul ryan, the vice presidential nominee clearly electrifying these people. here at the republican convention in tampa. we all knee he had substantive background, frankly i was surprised to hear how effective as a speaker he would be, even though at several points he raised, clearly disputeed by critics. up positive the booth, john king is standing by. john king is standing by. several points he made will be disputed, but no doubt he delivered a powerful speech. >> a powerful speech for the first time brought real convention intensity and energy to this hall. paul ryan had this crowd engaged. they are now ready for the fight and he framed it that way. he framed it as much the republican waged back in 2010. about the size, the scope, the role of government and cast president obama as somebody who four years ago had a lot of promises but a failure in the

leadership of the presidency. let's get a quick impression here in the box. ari fleischer, james carville, let me starts with you. a lot of conversation later, but paul ryan to you, the headline, the major accomplishment or lack thereof. >> start with the proposition the conservatives tonight will think maybe they have a new reagan. this was a powerful speech. he threw down the gauntlet. this audience loved ann romney and condi rice. but this was the speech they were waiting for. we're going to have a great debate this fall. >> i think that paul ryan did a great job. he had to do a couple of things. he had to portray president obama as two things. divisive and a disappointment. to look at those persuadable voters and say, give mitt romney a shot here, and i think that's exactly what he did tonight, and he was the first person we really heard in this convention take on president obama directly and repeatedly and say this man has failed. >> ari?

>> jolt of adrenaline. this was a jolt of optimistic adrenaline that he deliverrd tonight. that's something the republican party needs. the decisions to take on the future. also keep your eye on health care. if it's a romney/ryan ticket can neutralize the historic advantage in health care and they may be doing it on this obama medicare attack. huge changing issue in this election. >> james carville, after listening to paul ryan tonight will democrats be nervous and worried about this campaign? >> he's talking to you, james. never mind. i'll talk for him. >> just your impression. will democrats be worried after hearing this from paul ryan tonight? >> well, i think that democrats are worried right now. they were worried before this convention. it's a very tight race. if you look at it, obama's probably up one to three points. so who wouldn't be worried in that circumstance? but we're excited about our own convention, too. i thought tonight it was really

striking how much different he was tonight than he was in norfolk when he was announced. he seemed to be measure, determined, a much slower cadence. i mean, the style was a lot different tonight than it was back in norfolk. i thought that was kind of interesting. i'm sure that was obviously this speech was planned out and thought out to be that way. i just thought it was an interesting contrast between him and a month ago or whenever that was. >> also, wolf, as we go back to the floor. interesting in the end. of course he's speaking in the hall here to republicans who needed a bit of red meat with the appeal at the end to all americans said at least give us a look. i think that forbodes in an election. if this party is going to win, it needs to make converse in

weeks ahead. >> among those 10% who are switchable. he was addressing them. let's go to the floor and switch around with the reporters. dana bash is down there. you've got a guest. >> i do. i've got the governor of wisconsin. what did you think of paul ryan's speech. >> even though he talks about tough numbers, he's an optimist. he talks about it. that's why he's going to get it done. absolutely thrilled. >> the paul ryan i covered back in washington is -- >> he's a wonk at home but he's a guy that got into this it came out of reagan and kemp. i'm glad people saw the paul ryan i know tonight. >> governor, thank you very much. back to you, wolf. >> thanks very much. let's go candy crowley up on the podium. candy, like me, you've watched a lot of these conventions over the years. what did you think of this paul ryan address? >> he brought it. he really did blow the roof off this place. this was the speech they were waiting for. ann romney was great, chris christie might have got mixed

review, but they loved him here. but the spark in the air when he started to talk. and i just thought actually just in terms of words and the speech writing, anytime you've got a speech that has your mother in tears, your governor in tears, you close to it mentions ac/dc and zeppelin then talks about the supervision and sanctimony of planners, was speech with a lot in it. it was well crafted and certainly mostly for this audience. but at the end there certainly was again this kind of powerful drive to sort of push out and say, come and join us, no matter what party you're with. so this was the tee-up for mitt romney tomorrow. and he certainly gave him a board to jump off of for sure, wolf. >> and no doubt even though a lot of republicans are afraid of the medicare debate, what we

heard from paul ryan, he said bring it on. you want to debate medicare, we are ready to debate medicare and we will win. you heard him make that claim. >> that's right. look at numbers. he and barack obama are not far off on medicare. that may surprise a lot of people. but the people we want to know what they think tonight are the independents. there aren't many that are undecided. but there are some that will decide who will win the white house in november. a group of undecided voters came here and watched the speech along with our tom foreman and literally it was like a touch of the dial. everything they thought they rated it. tom, what was the verdict? >> it was fascinating to watch it here. i have to say these voters, we listened to them a bit beforehand. they have a tendency to be a little bit more on the republican side in temples of in terms of their view of things, but all of them unconvinced republicans. let me start with one big question if i can first.

all of you here, after paul ryan's speech tonight, do you feel more positive about leaning toward the republican side with your vote? a little bit? less positive? nobody. sort of in between a little bit. take a look at this bite. one of the interesting things here if you look at the lines here. the pink represents the women, the blue represents the men. look how they reacted differently to an attack in the paul ryan speech. it's different than what you heard in the hall. take a look. >> nearly one in six americans is in poverty. millions of young americans have graduated from college during the obama presidency. ready to use their gifts and get moving in life. half of them can't find the work they studied for or any work at all. so here's the question -- without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be any different from the last four years?

a big applause line there, and you may have been able to see in the lines there that the men responded to the attacks better than the women did. how did you feel about the attacks in the speech? good thing or bad? >> anytime there's any attack, i don't feel good about it. you've got to focus on the positive of stuff. but getting back to what you said about paul ryan, i really liked everything he said, but he's just going for v.p. he's not the main guy. so -- >> big question for you on that. what about you? did you like it when he talked tough about the economy and about the president? >> i think he spent a lot of time bashing president obama and not enough time talking about what they're going to do for this country. i really do. >> all right. let me grab a guy in the back row here. what about you? when he went after the president and pointed out what he thought was wrong with the president's programs, what did you think about that? >> i think he was spot on on what he pointed out there.

i think he hasn't done enough in four years. if somebody gives him the opportunity, it's what they do with that opportunity. he was given the opportunity of being president of the united states and has not turned the country around in four years. >> in the early parts of the speech, the women in your group here generally lagged below the men in terms of their approval of what was being said. but when he talked about his mother, rebuilding her life after the death of his father, everything turned around and stayed that way for quite some time. watch the lines on this. it wasn't just at new livelihood. it was a new life. and it transformed my mom from a widow in grief to a small businesswoman whose happiness wasn't just in the past. her work gave her hope. it made our family proud. and to this day, my mom is my role model.

[ cheers and applause ] let me ask you about that. when he started talking about his mother and her struggles and her family struggles to make things better, the women in this group by and large said good thing, positive thing. why do you think? >> just because there's a lot of single moms out there that are going through that same thing, and they lead -- they give a good example, and we try to instill that in our kids as we're raising them. and that he respects her so much. >> let me bring in alex here. alex, come in this way if you will for just a moment. i want to ask you something about it. come over here. when you listen to and you watch what went on here tonight particularly with the response and the differences between the women in this group and the men in this group, what do you think worked and what didn't? >> i want to ask these people here tonight if i can raise my

voice a little bit. did you think this guy was a reasonable guy or a scary, too extreme guy? raise hands first for reasonable. tell me why. tell me why. >> i think he was calm, he was well spoken, and he made some very good points. i did not know a lot about him, but he impressed me. >> he didn't scare you? >> not at all. >> what about it? who did he scare? too extreme? too conservative? any hands? >> what does that tell you? >> that's usually one of the reasons you see a split in male/female things. we saw it on government spending we saw it on a couple of other issues where men diverged from women tonight. >> so in general by the end once the women came up -- and let me ask you about this -- when the women came up on this thing on that issue of his mother and struggling along, they stayed up. that was interesting. because after that, for quite some time, people did that, represent a turning point for you?

>> no. i like that he respected what his mother did to help set him up and what she did for her family. i felt more included when he recognized her that way. >> interesting. what about you? >> i don't quite feel the same way. i had a favorable response because he was giving honor and respect to his mother for the work that she has done, and i think that's one thing the politicians really need to pay attention and realize that women are -- do carry the burden in the household and they do have a big say so in politics. >> all right. we're going to be back with more from our group here and alex as we go on. an awful lot. fascinating results here, wolf, from this group and their reaction. and everything. we want to talk to a lot more of them later on. wolf? >> we're only starting getting reaction to paul ryan's speech. we're going to speak to some family members. there you see some members of his own family. who knows paul ryan better than members of his own family? when we come back, you'll hear what they have to say.

the tampa bay forum is emptying out right now. a lot of people are leaving. buses are standing by. they're going to go home soon or go to their hotels at a minimum. we're out on the floor with some family members from paul ryan. jim, tell us what they're saying. let's hear from them. >> let's hear from them. wolf, i'm joined now by stan ryan, tobin ryan and janet rhine two brothers and one sister of paul ryan, the vice presidential nominee and their respective wives and husbands and kids,

and stan ryan, you were telling me a few moments ago. what was going through your mind when you saw your brother up on stage there? >> well, it was paul, if you will. he's just so natural as what he does. he's just so all-in committed to the cause, to what he's doing. he believes, we believe. and he's going to follow through. >> okay. and janet let me ask you. you're the oldest. i understand. they told me that, i don't know. i didn't guess that. i'm just saying. janet, tell me was paul ryan always this way as a youngster? was he just as incorrigible as he is now? >> he was. but he's always done what he thought needed to be done. he's kind of -- he's led by his convictions. he's continued that today. >> and did you think one day my little brother is going to be vice president of the united states? >> no, i never did. >> this is a shocker for you? >> it was a surprise. >> was he good at ordering you around the house?

the rest of the you around the house, perhaps? what signs did you see at an early age that perhaps led to this moment? >> he was good at negotiating. he never ordered, he simply negotiated his way to what he thought he wanted. so -- >> he got on the ticket. so -- >> he did. >> not too bad of a negotiator. toben, what is it about your brother that you think brought him to this moment? >> you know, paul is a guy who is an eternal optimist. there is no challenge, i think, that keeps him down that he doesn't think he can overcome. and that kind of leadership, i think, is probably what mitt romney saw in paul. and together i think combined is the kind of leadership that i think that's really going to help this nation. >> okay. and mack ryan is with us. this is paul ryan's nephew. >> yes. >> is this inspiring you, perhaps, one day to get into politics?

>> you know what? it really is. it's fantastic here. there's a lot of energy going around. it's a great place to be. you learn a lot of stuff. it's lots of fun being with my family having a great time. >> are you proud of your uncle? i. am very, very proud of my uncle. he's going to put america on the right track. >> all right. okay. this is a family, a ryan family here that is beaming with smiles and pride tonight. and for good reason. wolf? >> thanks very much, jim acosta on the floor. we're going to be getting a lot more reaction from various folks down on the floor. we'll get some reaction from democrats as well. but john, you know, as you and i well know, the democrats and certainly the obama campaign, they were watching this speech. they were going through it line by line, and you are getting, and so am i, every journalist is getting a lot of e-mail right now pointing out to what they claim are falsehoods. misleading statements, lies, if you will, that were made by paul ryan. and i guess those fact checking is just getting ready to begin.

>> the fact checking is beginning. our team at cnn is at it already. other news organizations will do it as well. you can be certain, that's how it goes in campaigns. some of it will be clear, you will say that was a stretch. other things will be debatable. in politics. one thing paul ryan talked about, that plant shut down in janesville, shut down during the bush administration. that happened to be a fact. he spoke of president obama saying it may be reopened. but it was closed under the bush administration. there was one about obama care. it does get savings from medicare and use them for their health care plan. there's a big debate about whether those savings come from the program. the administration says, no, they come from payments, that would go to democracy and other things. so you're taking money, but that would be debated in the campaign. let's continue the conversation here.

>> can i just say to your medicare point, the ryan budget also assumed the same $716 billion in medicare savings, not for, of course, the president's health care reform plan, but assumed those savings for something else. another thing with paul ryan and he talked about the bipartisan debt commission. of course. he was a member of the bipartisan debt commission. he voted against the product there. yet tonight he chided the president for doing nothing about it saying they came back with an urgent report. he thanked them. well, the tremendous -- part of the "they" was paul ryan who wouldn't sign on to it. >> wouldn't sign on because they would require higher taxes. if you're watching at home and remember that debate. >> as it -- taxes. >> it's a fascinating moment. he is the vice presidential candidate. erin, you wanted to make a point? >> i had a chance to talk to paul ryan the day his budget came out and asked him why did you vote against simpson bowles

on that and his reason at the time was i didn't like how it was dealing with health care and health entitlement. it highlights the irony that gloria pointed out. that same $716 billion that the president would cut, so would paul ryan. their plan's much more similar in that sense than they are different. >> it highlights the choice of the next president. whether president obama is re-elected or mitt romney wins the election, you will have this debt and deficit crisis to deal with. and will we have what we've had the past four years. saying you must get some increased taxes from the wealthy and a republican party that says absolutely not. >> i just want to say, i think these factual checks are important. they should be held accountable and i think there were some misstatements in the facts. but let's not forget. this was a speech about big ideas. we haven't had that very much in this campaign. that's what i thought was helpful about it. throwing down the gauntlet, he's inviting major conversation in the debates ahead about conflicting views. >> i want to bring ari and james into the conversation.

excuse me me for walking across the camera. this is the 2008 map for y president right here. i want to let the camera come around. to get this shot on our air. this is the 2008 man for president. i want to make a point. look at this part of the section here. paul ryan is from wisconsin. mitt romney was the governor of massachusetts. this is 2008. this is 2010. these are the senate races. these are the governorships. illinois has held on. what they are counting on in this pick is that this part of the country is willing to take the big issues you talked about. it is not just about geography. it's about the size of government. the role of government, whether these decisions should be made in washington or by your governor. 2010 was the midterm election, not a presidential election. they are apples and oranges, if you will. not apples and apples. is that a safe bet or the only bet republicans can make? >> john, you just nailed it. who's turn out to vote. a 2008 model, 2010 model or 201 2012 model?

a lot of sampled on a 2008 model which boggles my mind. oversampled and still it a 50/50 dead even race. if this race is between the 2004 and 2008 presidential races, which probably will be. bush won in '04 big turnout. obama huge democrat turnout in '08. chances are mitt romney wins and that's the big issue area. michigan is in play and wisconsin was a battle ground before paul ryan. it's a real battleground now. >> wolf, come back into the conversation. >> one thing he did make a big point. it's an accurate statement. that under the obama administration the national debt did increase by $5 trillion or $6 trillion over these past nearly four years. what he didn't say is the national debt doubled during the eight years of the bush administration from $5 trillion to $10 trillion. he also didn't point out that he as a member of congress voted for some of the biggest expenditures, some of the biggest expansions of the

federal government over those years, including a prescription drug benefit for seniors, including all of the trillions spent for the wars in afghanistan and iraq and all the defense spending as well. so this debate is only just beginning right now. on all of these issues. and there's no doubt that next week at the democratic convention in charlotte, we're going to hear a fierce response going after these republicans. >> but, you know, it's interesting. one thing i didn't hear from paul ryan was a huge call for tax cuts. tax cuts, tax cuts. paul ryan is really a fiscal conservative who likes to cut taxes. but we didn't hear that a lot to the audience tonight, wolf, because he was talking much more about his differences with president obama. but i think that's going to become a big issue. when you have somebody who says we've got to get control of that debt. you have the debt clock up there. what do you do about repealing the tax cuts for the wealthy? >> the big speech comes tomorrow night. of course that will be when mitt romney accepts the presidential nomination, but paul ryan setting the stage tonight.

calling is a big role for the republican party. when we come back, more from those voters. you see florida, that's where we are for this convention. it's a tossup state. more on this when our coverage continues. ordinary rubs don't always work on my arthritis.

try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. all right. this place is emptying out very, very quickly. the tampa bay times forum. this is the scene of the republican national convention. tomorrow night the big speech by the presidential nominee mitt romney. tom foreman has been with a group of undecided voters. what i really liked about the paul ryan speech tonight, at

least it dealt with the most important issues of the day. the substantive economic issues, jobs, health care, medicare. he didn't skirt those issues. yes, there will be a serious debate, but at least the focus was on the number one issues facing the american voter right now. >> and we asked these groups ahead of time with these dial tone. they told us the economy is the big issue here. and watch how the men and women reacted to another one of the big moments in the speech tonight. i was on my own path. my own journey. an american journey where i could think for myself, decide for myself, define happiness for myself. that's what we do in this country. that's the american dream. that's freedom and i'll take it any day over the supervision and sanctimony of the central planners.

>> alex, one of the things that excited you about this tonight was the reaction of this crowd to the idea that was also in the speech of, will you be better off in four years, or is it going to be the same. why? >> it's funny. this crowd seemed to react the same way when ronald reagan did. will you feel better than four years ago? i'm wondering what do they think when they heard paul ryan say why are the next four years going to be better than the last four years? >> let me ask this gentleman here. when paul ryan asked that question, why will the next four years be any better? why would you believe that? what do you think? was that a fair question to ask? >> it was a good question to ask. i believed him. i don't think they're going to be better without a change. >> what about you? >> i have the same feelings. i think that he thought the question that he's asking us is what have we heard that will make us believe that it will be any different? so far we haven't heard anything

different. >> i move to you with the last one. president obama did very well with young people. question is, you're a young person right now looking at this. do you, when you hear that question particular paul ryan -- will you be better off in four years? what would make you believe any better? is that a good question, a fair question, and how do you feel about it? >> i think it's a fair question. i didn't vote for obama last election. i don't think i'm going to vote for obama this election. >> are you ready to vote for mitt romney at this point? >> i think a lot of things i did hear tonight are swaying me that way. i liked a lot of things of getting the country back on track. we shouldn't be punished for being successful. that was appealing to me. i feel like, got to have job, and you can't punish those people that make jobs, especially the small business owners. >> alex, one last quick thought here. you watched this group. you saw their reaction. you're in the business of deciding speeches like this had worked. do you think it worked with these undecided voters?

>> i think it began to plant a seed. one thing i'd love to ask these guys and we will maybe later is is he too young or did he speak about the future? the republican party moving forward? but i think was there optimism here? maybe in the beginning. >> i'm going to have you step this way. before we get back to you, wolf, let me ask you all. you came here undecided. how many of you feel that you're closer to a decision after hearing this speech tonight? well, a pretty good number there. some still holding out. and we'll see how it plays out, wolf. fascinating, fascinating group here from southern methodist university they put them together from here around tampa. but voters from here around tampa undecided voters. this is the gold in this election, wolf. whoever can win these voters can win in november. >> over at the cnn grill, thanks very much. we're going to do that next week in charlotte at the democratic national convention. erin, we're going to do exactly the same thing.

listen to the speeches. we'll hear when mitt romney speaks we'll have the focus group of undecided voters. see how they go forward as well. interesting stuff that was going on. and at least he didn't get into all the junk out there, all the stupid issues that politicians like to raise about the opposition. at least paul ryan focused in on the real meat, the real importance of this election. >> it was a substantive speech. >> jobs, jobs, jobs. has different views of course than the democrats but at least he focused on issue number one. >> you talk about him as a person of substance and he is. and he does love policy. a lot of people may look at paul ryan and say especially with all the talk out there about his views on medicare, is he far to the right? one thing that may surprise people about his record in his willingness to go to the other

side. he voted for the auto bailout. he voted for t.a.r.p. the bank bailout, everybody. and at the time he said i'm doing it to prevent a depression. so he cast both of those votes in that way. when i spoke to him this spring when he came out with his budget, he made it clear to me on repeated questions that he would allow taxes on the wealthy to go up. and he told me their effective tax rates will be higher because i'm not going to allow them to shelter their income anymore. if you take those points you think is this the vice presidential nominee? but he is. this is the person who has shown the ability to compromise. >> and whether or not, john king, the critics out there will dispute some of the facts in this speech, there's no doubt he delivered for the republican, and it does set a high bar for mitt romney tomorrow night. can mitt romney deliver an even more powerful speech as he accepts the republican presidential nomination? >> and that is the defining question of this convention. wolf, governor romney comes in in a position to win this race. it is a dead heat race. paul ryan still introducing himself to the country in many ways. he is the star attraction tonight.

but americans vote for presidents. not vice-presidents. he's an important part of the ticket, governor romney has the bigger challenge tomorrow night. james carville, when you worked for bill clinton and he picked al gore. that was sending a statement. that the democrats were going to be different, that they were a new generation, that this was not walter mondale or michael dukakis' party. that they were different. to what degree was paul ryan -- does he help mitt romney send this signal it's a new or different republican party? >> yeah, i think he does. and i think that what you've seen in the campaign is that the campaign is basically about activating the base. that they believe that they're sufficient as 50 plus one if they have the turnout they in 2010. clearly that was what was at work here. it sends a -- a different generation. he looks different. if you watch him tonight, he's very different looking than anyone we've seen run for national office before.

and whether that works or not, we'll see in november. but it is a very close race. i'll point that out. people say, are you nervous? of course i'm nervous. who wouldn't be in a race where you were two points up. anybody would. >> an incredibly likable guy. it's not an endorsement. the policies will be debated. romney has embraced much of that and didn't is the romney budget that matters more than the rhine budget, but your thoughts on just what was he trying to do tonight, and did he get there? >> i think he tried to set out a bolder more energetic and ari says a more optimistic vision of what the country could be. their theme as been we can do better than what we've been doing the last four years. i think he set up an indictment of president obama and a vision that is a good segue, a good

plasm, a springboard, if you like, for mitt romney tomorrow night. but mitt romney has got to take the dive tomorrow night. >> i also think what he did was he made this is generational argument, this issue of medicare. and he as somebody who's 42 years old said you know, i want this to be there. and i'm going to guarantee you if we win it's going to be there for my grandchildren. and i think what he did is say okay, i'm a young person and i want this to be there for my generation. and that's something we haven't heard. because it's risky. very risky. >> and wolf, we also learned tonight he listens to ac/dc to led zeppelin and a joke about governor romney listens to elevator music. >> i like elevator music. sometimes that elevator music is pretty good. i will say this about the republican convention -- they have a great band here that's going. used to be on "saturday night live." the band here has been fabulous as someone who loves music and you know i do. i think this band has been

terrific. >> we need music. it's very important. >> even elevator music from time to time. all right, guys. thanks to social media, we're giving you our viewers a chance to be part of cnn's convention coverage. go to facebook.com/cnn. answer this question -- does representative paul ryan make you enthusiastic about the gop ticket? we're going to give your results. that's coming up.

obamacare comes with more than 2,000 pages of rule, mandates, taxes fees and fines that have no flas a free country. >> erin, quick reactions from all of our reporters and analysts. up to the podium. candy crowley is there. candy? >> well, you know, you can watch this convention as most conventions do build to the finale and that is tomorrow night and mitt romney. i mean, we really have seen two successive days of ratcheting up and certainly the excitement level on this floor. paul ryan, i mean, just talking to folks as they're going out they are ecstatic.

we saw several top level romney advisers. i said what did you think? they said, awesome. great. they are very happy. it may -- obviously if you're not inclined to like paul ryan and mitt romney, you won't find a lot to like. it was not wholly and attack dog speech. that's not the place for a number two speech at all, but i can tell you in this hall and on this day, he really did set the table for mitt romney, and that's what all this has been building for, after all, is to get their nominee out of here and on the road to what they hope are improved chances of beating president obama. wolf? >> yeah. there's no doubt about that. erin i think there's also -- for those who weren't familiar with paul ryan, didn't know who this congressman was and all of us news junkies we obviously know him, especially those of us in washington, now a lot of folks introduced to him, millions of

people who were watching, will appreciate why mitt romney selected him to be his running mate. >> i think that's right. i think people who are familiar with him, i've been following him for years, people are getting a sense of the other side of him. people who knew him as a wonk, seeing his family and children gives a new picture. a new picture of paul ryan, too. >> she a wonk. >> she a wonk. >> he likes music though. and he likes exercise. and has a beautiful family as you can see right there. >> i have to say i love how his daughter had that sparkly head band on. very excited for her big night. went there and gave a special wave of her own, which i thought was rather precious. >> i thought it was adorable, i don't know if that's the right word, how his mother was brought into this. she's on medicare herself. she's got quite a compelling story and he told it. how he lost his dad when he was only 16 years old. >> and he used the personal stories not only to introduce himself to the american people but to make key points for the republican argument and to rebut, if you will, or provide some insulation against the democratic criticism.

this is a guy after all, paul ryan, who is the new karl rove. ari can relate to this. i'll get to ar any a second. when it rained in the bush administration, they blamed karl rove. if the bus was late in the bush administration, the democrats blamed karl rove. i'm being a little bit jokey. but in the last few day, paul ryan has been the synonym for scary. they say what he wants to do is scary. the challenge is we had that big debate about the ideas. a legitimate debate. a debate the country needs. the idea that paul ryan tonight as a person, ari, it's safe to say, was not scary. >> that's right. that's one of his greatest strengths. that's what i love about him. one thing about republicans, they talk too often like accountants, the republicans. they need to speak like ronald reagan with a jolt of adrenaline and confidence in what they do. paul ryan exudes that. john i want to backcheck, which i want to fact check the fact checkers who began this segment. this is from the milwaukee journal sentinel, the hometown paper, september 2011 for

politics and paul ryan entered the national seen. the janesville plant stopped production of suvs in 2008 and was idled in 2009 after it completed production of medium duchlty trucks. paul ryan was right. the fact checkers are wrong. >> all right. >> we'll have to get on -- yeah. check it out. >> i'll just quote the milwaukee paper. what do i know? >> it's a legitimate point. everyone, hold your breath. we'll be back with tonight's takeaways. we'll give you a chance to be part of cnn's convention coverage. go to facebook.com/cnn. answer this question. does paul ryan make you enthusiastic about the gop ticket? we'll give your results, your take, coming up.

erin, you remember just a little while ago we asked our viewers to go to our facebook

page and tell us whether representative paul ryan makes you enthusiastic about the gop ticket. here are the results. 51% of you say he makes you more enthusiastic. 33% say he makes you less enthusiastic. 16% says it doesn't change your opinion at all. instantaneous reactions. courtesy of -- >> you have to say, instantaneous, all-in, probably pretty good for paul rhine and the ryan team, when you see the number, considering many didn't know who he was at all coming into in. >> whether you agree or do not agree. john king, he delivered a speech that got the republican crowd thinked? >> the goal, wolf, the convention, have paul ryan not only energize the base, get people to give it another look. those numbers are encouraging for the romney campaign. a strategic mark of a convention. he, paul ryan, called mitt romney the turn-around man. the country needs a turn-around.

the challenge for mitt romney now tomorrow. is it to be, i'm mr. nuts and bolts? or is it to be, you should like me? you can trust me. i'm more personal. >> it is to be -- set the vision of where we could go under his leadership is compelling. if could i use a metaphor. it's like a plane. i think paul ryan put one wing on the plane last night. ann romney put another wing on the plane. condi rice put some fuel in the engine. now mitt romney's got to flip the plane. >> if some voters are thinking about firing the president, they have to look at mitt romney tomorrow night as his replacement. you know, you can't fire somebody until you know who is going to take his place. that's what mitt romney has to do. make himself presidential. >> i think for mitt romney, conventional wisdom, he has to be more likable. connect with people. actually, in this case, convention's wisdom is accurate. he needs to have people click and like him. sort of the way paul ryan

normally does. the moment i was waiting for was the elevator thing. paul ryan set it up. i can't wait to the see if the romney people respond. he made the joke about his boss listens to elevator music. mitt romney needs to make a joke back about paul ryan and music and elevator music. humor from mitt romney is a big ingredient to make himself likable. >> but it's hard for him. >> it's hard for him to do it. >> james? >> you have a unique place in our conversation. you have a unique place in recent political history. you beat an incumbent president. that's what these guys are trying to do. are they doing it right? bill clinton and george bush both served two terms. >> i would rather see him accomplish likability tomorrow night than establish himself as somebody that people say could turn this thing around. and usually the favorables in the end are going to line up with the vote. i think that romney's challenge tomorrow night is to say, you know what? this guy has it in him to do this. this i think that is it. a nice set-up, the elevator music and that kind of stuff.

your wife endorses you, your mother endorses you. in the tend doesn't really count for a lot. >> we heard, it was subtle from paul ryan. more direct from mike huckabee the former governor earlier in the night, about mitt romney's religion. paul ryan said we go to different churches but we share the same moral creed. mike huckabee directly addressed it. he said some evangelicals might have questions about mitt romney. he didn't use the word mormon but he said his faith. took it smart head on. smart? >> it was what he could say. when you look at how mitt romney is retaining so much of the republican base and the republican vote, i don't know that's where this election will come down. this is not george h.w. bush in 1992 who did have a problem with that. romney has it because he is running against barack obama. >> they must have felt, to do it, to invite it. they vet the speeches. to invite it they must think it was something they wanted done. is it for this hall or for the country at large? >> i think the country at large.

and paul ryan did it as well. what he has to do, has not been done yet, is to lay out a plan for the economy that will actually get us there that's credible. that's what ronald reagan did to take it away from jimmy carter and that's what bill clinton did to take it away in '92. >> but he has to be more than a mr. fix-it or an efficiency expert. he has to come across as trustworthy, presidential and plausible as a replacement for president obama. >> if people start to believe this is not the new normal, we don't have to accept this it can get reversed, that's powerful. because the mood of country really is, nobody can fix it. it is that bad. if romney can convince people he can fix it, that is powerful. >> yeah. and if romney is going to have to also convince, great skepticism whether he can fix it in a way that it can relate to average voters. he has a big job tomorrow night at this convention. you know, thus far, that has not been accomplished. to be fair to the republicans, you're not going to accomplish that until the last night. >> to be fair to the republicans.